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With an estimated 86.2 million annual visitors in 2016, France remains the most visited country in the world. Despite the higher than average threat of terrorist attacks, most travel experts expect that the number of tourists will increase next year.

One reason why so many analysts have faith in France's tourism economy has to do with the wide array of special events slated for next year. The two major themes that are already emerging France's 2018 travel season include museum openings and special art exhibits.

First off, art lovers should seriously consider booking a trip to Paris in the spring or summer. Thanks to backing from the New York Met, the Louvre will put together a retrospective exhibit of 19th century artist Eugene Delacroix's work between March 29th and July 23rd. At the same time as the Delacroix exhibit, Paris's Petit Palais will showcase works from famous Dutch painters who once called the French capital home.

As for museum openings, one of the most exciting openings next year is Nîmes's Museum of Roman Culture on June 2nd. Here visitors will learn all about Nîmes's interesting past with special emphasis on its time under Roman rule. In case you were wondering, it cost €60 million to construct this state-of-the-art museum.

Yet another interesting museum opening next year is the Calvados Experience in Pont-l'Évêque. For those who don't know, calvados is a special kind of apple brandy that's only produced in Normandy. Guests to this museum won't only learn about calvados, they'll get to experience it with all five senses! The Calvados Experience is set to open in March.

One event everyone visiting France next year won't be able to miss is the centenary of the end of WWI. A few key events to mark this somber occasion include the opening of the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux on April 26th and the re-opening of the Armistice Museum in March.

Lastly, anyone interested in the work of Pablo Picasso will find tons of things to see all over France next year. First, Paris's Picasso Museum is planning to lead tours of Picasso's famous Guernica between March 24th and July 29th. Second, highly reviewed Carrières de Lumières in Provence will also host a special audio-visual Picasso exhibit from March 2nd till the end of the year. Finally, the city of Metz will host a "Modern Couples" show at their Centre Pompidou highlighting the relationship between Picasso and Dora Maar. Just a few other cities that are expected to host Picasso events in 2018 include Marseille, Aix, Nice, and Antibes.

With all of these art exhibits and museum openings, tourism to France will undoubtedly remain strong in 2018.